Rep. Peter King Finds Cojones To Stand Up To Tax Bully Grover Norquist

November 26, 2012

If you don’t know who Grover Norquist is, allow us to explain: he’s an angry little man who bullies Congressional candidates into signing his “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which basically is the wannabe lawmakers’ promise that he or she won’t vote to raise taxes under any circumstances. If a candidate refuses to sign the pledge — or fails to live up to its requirements once elected to office — Norquist moves heaven and earth to make sure that person isn’t elected (or re-elected) to Congress.

As the founder of the group Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist has become a very powerful player in the Republican Party — 95-percent of Republicans in Congress have signed his stubborn pledge, and are subject to Norquist’s bullying. He’s basically the Scut Farkus of the Republican Party.

But Norquist’s pledge is losing some of its luster amongst GOPers as the country approaches the so-called “fiscal cliff.” And one of those GOP lawmakers standing up to Norquist’s bullying is New York’s own Congressman Peter King.

King echoed
Chambliss’ discontent with Norquist’s pledge over the weekend, noting
that taking “ironclad positions” during budget negotiations wasn’t the
best way to go.

“I agree entirely with Saxby Chambliss. A pledge you signed 20 years
ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress,” King said on NBC’s Meet the
Press. “For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I
would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to
attack Japan today. The world has changed, and the economic situation is
different.”

King is just one of several powerful GOP lawmakers finally standing up to Norquist.

Norquist responded to King’s comments, telling CNN that “I do want to correct one thing. Congressman Peter King of New York
knows full well that the pledge that he signed and others have, is for
while you’re in Congress. It’s not for a two year period.”

This is
the first time in more than 20 years that prominent GOPers have conjured up the cojones to stand up to Norquist.